There’s a ton of information (and misinformation) about vitamins and supplements. But, particularly when it comes to women’s health, vitamins are often considered either the holy grail of good health or expensive bunk. 

So, what’s the truth?

Well, while there is a lot of conflicting information out there, and even conflicting study results, there are a few myths about vitamins and women’s health that we think it’s important to address. 

Myth # 1: Your Body Won’t Absorb the Vitamins

This is one of the most common myths about vitamins in nutrition. Many people claim that your body simply won’t absorb the vitamins and that they won’t make any difference in your body. 

Admittedly, there is some truth hidden in this myth. But like most cases of absolutism, the lie is in the exaggeration. 

The truth is that most vitamins and supplements designed for women contain more of each vitamin and mineral than your body needs. Chances are if you take a vitamin regularly, your body is just getting rid of some excess vitamins and minerals. 

But that doesn’t mean that your body isn’t absorbing some of those vitamins. 

Your body will only absorb and use the vitamins it needs. Even the vitamins you get from your diet are absorbed this way, as needed, so there isn’t a huge difference between dietary vitamins and supplementary vitamins. 

Myth # 2: Multivitamins Aren’t Designed for Women

This flatly isn’t true. The truth is that multivitamins that aren’t designed for women aren’t designed for women. But there are plenty of vitamins for women that are designed to meet the healthy eating and nutritional needs of a woman’s body. 

These vitamins consider the diseases and disorders that are most common in women, like osteoporosis, and help meet the nutritional needs that can contribute to those disorders.

It’s true that you won’t get as much benefit from a general multivitamin as you would for a vitamin designed for women. But that doesn’t mean you won’t get any benefits. 

Still, we do recommend that you take a multivitamin designed for women if you’re going to take a vitamin. 

Myth # 3: More is Better

One common myth about vitamins for women is that more is better. People often repeat this about prenatal vitamins in particular, and vitamins that are used to help support breastfeeding and other taxing life-stages. 

The truth is that a good women’s vitamin isn’t meant to be taken in huge doses, and your body isn’t designed to absorb huge amounts of any vitamins. 

In fact, the definition of a vitamin is a nutrient that your body needs but only in very small amounts. 

Taking larger doses of vitamins just means that your body will filter out the extra vitamins without using them. Some of those vitamins will be stored, but a lot of those vitamins will be disposed of since your body doesn’t need them right away. 

Always take your vitamins according to the instructions on the bottle. There’s no reason to take more than the recommended dose. 

Is It Worth It?

A lot of women wonder if taking a vitamin is worth the expense and the hassle of finding a good supplement that addresses their needs. 

Ultimately, the decision whether or not to take a vitamin is up to you. A good vitamin can benefit your health and improve your energy levels, even if you already have a healthy and well-balanced diet. But only you can decide what is right for you.